A review of overdose deaths in B.C. between 2005 and 2010 shows that 61 per cent were accidental and related to the use of prescription drugs, says the B.C. Coroners Service.

The study found that during the same period, 34 per cent of deaths associated with prescription drugs were classified as suicides.

“We would like to stress that these are just preliminary findings,” said B.C. Coroners Service official Barb McLintock.

The review found that 58 per cent of those who died from prescription drugs were between the ages of 40 and 59.

It also found the mortality rate from such overdoses was almost twice as high in the Interior as in other parts of the province, with a death rate of 2.8 per 100,000 compared to 1.3 per 100,000 in Metro Vancouver.

The following drugs were identified as the leading cause of deaths: codeine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, meperidine, morphine, oxycodone.

The study found that in some cases a single drug was responsible for death, but in many cases it was the result of mixed drug toxicity or an opioid combined with other medications such as benzodiazepines, anti-depressants or alcohol.

Most overdose deaths in B.C. due to prescription drugs: study

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